West Believes Serbs Deserve Only Constant Punishment - Republika Srpska

Western nations view Republika Srpska and Serbia's affinity for Russia with "arrogance," the president of Republika Srpska, one of the two administrative entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told Sputnik Serbia Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Republika Srpska president has repeatedly criticized the European Union for pursuing a policy of sanctions against Russia, stating that the restrictions have had a boomerang effect on Europe's economy.

"It's a fact that both Serbia and Republika Srpska have an affection for Russia, which is viewed by the West sometimes with fear, and sometimes with arrogance, believing that the Serbs deserve only constant punishment, that this is the only correct measure to be applied to them," Milorad Dodik said.

The president added that the European Union is now "far from what it used be in the past."

"They [the European Union] are trying to keep the illusion of significance, however, they cannot solve any internal issues," Dodik added.

Srebrenica Massacre

The West has "bad intentions" toward the Serbs in Bosnia (BiH) and Herzegovina, the president of Republika Srpska said.

"We are absolutely confident that the West has bad intentions towards the Serbian people in BiH and Republika Srpska, and it would be wrong to assume that the Western political elite can be appeased by the allegiance. Therefore, we stand for a consistent political struggle for our rights and the rejection of any imposed decisions," Milorad Dodik said.

In July 2015, Russia vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution defining as genocide and condemning the 1995 killings in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica after its capture by units of the Army of Republika Srpska. Serbia and the Bosnian Serbs do not deny the crime, but do not consider it a genocide.

"If the resolution on Srebrenica were adopted, it would be nonsense," Dodik stated. "Because history knows a lot of examples of massacres and genocides, but there has never been any UN resolution, which would blame a particular nation, proclaiming it 'genocidal.' Such a fate was prepared only for the Serbs."

In July 1995, some 8,000 Muslim men and boys were killed in Srebrenica, a Muslim-majority town in the mainly Serb eastern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The massacre took place after the town had been occupied by Bosnian Serb militia under the command of Gen. Ratko Mladic.

The UN International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the International Court of Justice have classified the massacre in Srebrenica as genocide.

Dodik previously warned that the UN Security Council resolution could threaten the fragile peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina.